Simon Froude
Director-General, National Archives of Australia
The Healing Foundation's 2025 Stolen Generations records symposium
Parkes, ACT
17 November 2025
Introduction
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Simon Froude, Director-General of National Archives of Australia.
Before I begin, I'd like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, the traditional custodians of the lands on which we meet today.
I acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been knowledge-keepers for many thousands of years, and I pay my respects to Elders past and present.
I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are here with us.
Thank you to the Healing Foundation, both for the opportunity to speak today and for organising this important event.
As we've heard, records relating to the Stolen Generations are vital cultural assets, and enabling access to them can help reconnect families, restore community ties, and support redress and truth-telling.
Many organisations across the country, including National Archives, are working hard to provide access within our respective frameworks and capacities – and progress has been made.
But there's still much more to do, and to strengthen and unify these efforts, the importance of a nationally consistent framework cannot be overstated.
Under this kind of approach, procedures for requesting and granting access to records would be aligned across jurisdictions, helping to reduce delays, prevent re-traumatisation, and ensure that people can navigate the process with dignity and clarity.
Today, I'll start by providing a snapshot of the records access landscape across Australia, highlighting the improvements made and the barriers that remain. I'll also share some of National Archives' work in this space.
Next, I'll lay out what a nationally consistent records access framework could look like, focusing on the kinds of processes, procedures and coordination mechanisms that would be essential to its success.
Finally, I'll look at where we go from here, touching on the collaborative spirit and shared commitment we'll need to bring this vision to life.
The current landscape
As mentioned, I want to begin with an overview of where things stand on records access across the country.
As we know, the Bringing them home report included various records-related recommendations, and progress has been made in this space.
From 2018 to 2025, the Healing Foundation convened the Historical Records Taskforce, which included representatives from records agencies and Indigenous services organisations.
The goal was to develop principles for a nationally consistent approach to accessing Stolen Generations records, and in 2022 the taskforce released its report with the principles included.
These principles align with the concept of permissive access – that is, the rights of individuals to obtain personal information about themselves and their history – and were endorsed by information and privacy commissioners across Australia.
Beyond this, most states and territories now assist Stolen Generations survivors with family history help and records access, often through services like Link-up and Indigenous records units.
At National Archives, we've also been doing sustained work in this area.
We have memoranda of understanding with organisations representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across numerous jurisdictions, to provide access to open-period Australian Government records for the purpose of re-establishing family and community links.
The first MOU was developed in 1997 with organisations in the Northern Territory, and the most recent was in 2023 with Western Australia.
Under these MOUs, we offer special provisions including expedited service and fee waivers.
We also have a Bringing them home name index, a searchable list of names and places created from records in our collection that relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In addition, we offer staff training on trauma-informed client services and records management, to ensure staff are equipped to engage sensitively with those who seek these records, and to manage them appropriately.
Beyond this, National Archives is currently the presiding executive for CAARA, the Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities.
CAARA's First Nations Special Interest Group promotes meaningful relationships between CAARA institutions and Indigenous communities, and the group has been exploring what a nationally consistent records access framework might look like.
However, although progress has been made, substantial barriers around records access persist.
Although jurisdictions often work together on cross-border enquiries, the fact remains that each jurisdiction has different legislation and access policies. This means many Stolen Generations survivors and their families must navigate multiple, inconsistent processes in their search for records.
There are also constraints under the Archives Act and other legislation that prevent the full and unhindered release of government records relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
As an added complexity, different archives have very different ways of administering Stolen Generations records enquiries – for example, New South Wales and Tasmania refer all these enquiries to specialist agencies.
Resourcing constraints can also create barriers to access – for example, at National Archives, we have a limited number of staff working on Stolen Generations records requests. Much of our collection is also under-described, and our processes can sometimes result in long wait times for records access requests.
Then there are the records held by churches and non-government groups, which can be even more challenging to access and in some cases are still not open.
Vision for a nationally consistent records access framework
So, that's the current landscape – and as is clear, it's marked by some big challenges.
But a nationally consistent records access framework would be one of the most effective ways to address these challenges, so now
I want to touch on what this could look like and how we might bring it to life.
As mentioned, a nationally consistent approach would involve harmonised processes across jurisdictions, making it far easier for individuals to request and receive records.
In practice, this could involve several coordinated elements, including:
- a central contact point or organising body that coordinates access requests across all organisations
- a standardised application form used by all organisations
- and standardised access procedures across all organisations, brought about through a joint memorandum of understanding.
Any arrangement could cover matters such as prioritisation and response times, how freedom-of-information applies, and processes for cross-border referrals including interstate transfer of files.
It could also cover additional topics such as trauma-informed practice and the creation of centralised listings of relevant resources.
Under a nationally consistent approach, record-holding institutions could also take other action to further support the Bringing them home recommendations, including through developing right-of-reply policies.
Bringing this kind of nationally consistent framework to life will be a complex task, but with coordinated effort, I believe it's well within reach. In practical terms, the development process could draw on the Historical Records Taskforce principles and involve:
- providing advice to the government on the need to introduce or amend legislation to implement nationally consistent access
- advising relevant organisations on policies relating to the access and use of Indigenous personal information
- and dialogue amongst all record-holding institutions, including churches and non-government organisations, to establish a central contact point and develop common procedures and guidelines, including a trauma-informed application process.
Many of the stakeholders that will be essential to this work are represented here today, and include:
- Commonwealth and state government representatives
- AIATSIS, National Archives and the National Library
- state, territory and local government archives and libraries
- the archives and libraries of tertiary and religious institutions
- and government and non-government organisations that represent and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
After implementation, ongoing monitoring and oversight will also be essential. This will ensure the framework remains effective, responsive and sustainable, and could be achieved through survivor-led and community-informed approaches, and steering-level and implementation-level working groups.
Looking ahead
So, where do we go from here?
Each of us in this room either holds responsibilities around managing and making records accessible, or has resources and expertise that can improve outcomes for Stolen Generations survivors and descendants.
That means that together, we have the capacity – and the obligation – to drive meaningful change in this space.
At National Archives, we embrace our leadership role and remain firmly committed to making it easier for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to access records in a culturally safe way.
At an organisational level, we plan to strengthen our efforts by standardising our MOUs with partner organisations, enhancing our collection management practices for First Nations records, streamlining our processes to reduce wait times on access requests, and continuing key initiatives such as adding to the Bringing them home name index.
We're deeply committed to advancing a nationally consistent records access framework too, and we intend to engage wherever we can add value.
This may include contributing knowledge, skills and resources, participating in working groups, coordinating efforts through the Council of Australasian Archives and Records Authorities, or using our position to advocate for legislative reform at the federal level.
I know many of us here have similar mindsets, grounded in openness, collaboration and a shared commitment to progress, and I encourage us all to carry that forward in today's discussions.
Because while the path ahead will be complex, it's entirely navigable, and the profound benefits to survivors, descendants and communities will be worth every step.
So, let's engage in constructive dialogue, exchange ideas and explore practical solutions. The more we bring our collective knowledge and experience to the table, the greater the impact we can make.
Thank you.
Media contact
National Archives of Australia Media Team
Phone: 0417 247 157
Email: media@naa.gov.au